• Zoo exhibit design for Franklin Park Zoo by Main Street Design.
  • zoo exhibit design, zoo design, exhibit design, Main Street Design, Franklin Park Zoo
  • zoo exhibit design, zoo design, exhibit design, Main Street Design, Franklin Park Zoo
  • zoo exhibit design, zoo design, exhibit design, Main Street Design, Franklin Park Zoo
  • Zoo exhibit design for Franklin Park Zoo by Main Street Design.
  • Zoo exhibit design for Franklin Park Zoo by Main Street Design.
  • Zoo exhibit design for Franklin Park Zoo by Main Street Design.
  • Zoo exhibit design for Franklin Park Zoo by Main Street Design.
  • Zoo exhibit design for Franklin Park Zoo by Main Street Design.
Nature’s Neighborhoods
Franklin Park Zoo
Boston, Massachusetts

 

Nature’s Neighborhoods, Franklin Park Zoo’s new children's zoo, intermingles live animal exhibits with parallel play and “safe risk” adventure play experiences. The project is loosely organized into three biome-based multi-species exhibit and experience zones – Woodlands, Wetlands, and Grasslands – linked by The Thicket, a multi-faceted play space inspired by classic New England transitional pastures: the ecotones where different “natural neighborhoods” overlap and intersect. Live animal features include prairie dog, red panda and muntjac exhibits, and a mixed species walk-through waterfowl aviary. Guests climb like a panda in a constructed bamboo grove, make their way through a tallgrass maze, clamber across boulders, stumps and fallen tree trunks, and sneak through their own secret "rabbit hole." Nature’s Neighborhoods invites young adventurers and their families to explore the richness and complexity of the natural world, both far away and close to home.

Project Partners

Cambridge Seven Associates
architecture
studio MLA
playscape consultants
Coyle & Caron
landscape architecture and animal exhibit design
Thornton Tomasetti
structural engineering
Institute for Human Centered Design
accessibility and universal design
Playground Inspections of New England
playground compliance

Awards

Design Award, 2020
American Society of Landscape Architects, Florida Chapter
Design Merit Award, 2020
Boston Society of Landscape Architects

Testimonials

The interesting custom structures and lush plantings create a great educational space and positive interpretive experiences for kids.